CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at St Michael's Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention, safe admissions, PPE, testing, hygiene, visiting arrangements and managing outbreaks. They were also told measures were in place to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not covered by this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not covered by this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not covered by this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This question was not covered by this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control, visiting and staffing arrangements.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 22 February 2022. Inspectors looked mainly at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and staffing pressures linked to COVID-19.
Inspectors found good practice. The home had infection control procedures, enough protective equipment, regular COVID-19 testing and plans for safe admissions and visits. Staff acted quickly when positive test results occurred and kept families informed about an outbreak.
The home was not given an overall rating. The Safe question was inspected but not rated. This report does not provide a full assessment of the other areas of care.
Infection control
The home had arrangements covering PPE, testing, hygiene, safe admissions and the prevention or management of outbreaks.
“We were assured that the provider was making sure infection outbreaks can be effectively prevented or managed.” from the report
Family visits
Individual visiting plans helped people stay in contact with family and friends while managing infection risks.
“People had individual visiting plans in place to keep them safe and ensure they remained in contact with friends and family.” from the report
Staffing
The home was fully staffed and had measures to manage future infection outbreaks and winter pressures.
“The service was fully staffed and able to manage future coronavirus and other infection outbreaks, and winter pressures.” from the report
Communication with families
The registered manager was open with families about the COVID-19 outbreak and recovery dates.
“The registered manager had been open and transparent with friends and family about the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in the service, and recovery dates.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are infection control, testing and PPE arrangements working now?
- 02How are individual visiting plans reviewed when a resident's health or infection risk changes?
- 03How would you keep our family informed if there were another COVID-19 outbreak?
- 04How do you make sure staffing levels remain safe during sickness or other staffing pressures?
- 05What assessment has been made of the areas not covered by this targeted inspection, including caring, responsiveness and leadership?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated and the other key questions were not covered. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 March 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, February 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some end-of-life plans varying in detail.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 5 December 2019, with a further date recorded as 9 December 2019. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals. They observed care and checked care plans, medicine records, staff recruitment and training records, and quality checks.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicine systems, clean surroundings, good care planning and respectful support. People were encouraged to make choices, stay independent and keep in touch with family and friends.
The home had a new manager recruited in April 2019. Inspectors found positive leadership, good teamwork and systems that helped identify and act on improvements. The overall rating remained Good, the same as at the previous inspection published in June 2017.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe. Staff understood safeguarding and people's individual risks, and records showed care was delivered in line with risk plans.
“People and their relatives told us they felt safe within the service.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff were described as kind and caring. Inspectors saw staff protect people's dignity, ask for consent and support independence.
“Staff treated people with dignity and respect.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans described people's needs, preferences, life histories and desired outcomes. Staff knew people well and used this information in daily care.
“Plans were personalised and relevant to the person.” from the report
Good staff support
Staff had induction, training, supervision and competency checks. They said they felt confident and supported in their roles.
“Staff received the training and support needed to carry out their role effectively.” from the report
Strong management systems
The manager and staff worked as a team. Audits, handovers and meetings helped the home identify issues and share learning.
“Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the standard of care provided.” from the report
End-of-life plans varied
minorNo one was receiving end-of-life care during the inspection. Each person had a plan, but the report says the amount of information varied, so ask how plans are kept complete and up to date.
“These varied in content due to the information being available.” from the report
- 01How would you assess and update my relative's care plan after they move in?
- 02How do you make sure medicines, including occasional medicines and prescribed creams, are given correctly?
- 03How would you support my relative to remain independent and take part in activities if they preferred to stay in their room?
- 04How do you record and review end-of-life wishes, and how would you involve the family?
- 05What changes were made after the local authority inspection in August 2019?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall quality of the care home, covering all five CQC questions; all five ratings were reviewed and remained Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 February 2020 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of St Michael's Care Home
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- February 2020Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 March 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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Most charge £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 25 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
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